Diamonds have been treasured for their beauty and scarcity since ancient times and thieveries have always been a part of their history. Even in today’s high-tech world, diamonds are still at risk. As long as they remain rare and valuable, they’re likely to remain the targets of heists — some successful, and some foiled attempts.
Damiani Diamond Heist
Diamond jewelry was a hit at the Academy Awards in 2008, but while the world’s eyes were glued on celebrities adorned in diamonds, a gang of thieves in Italy had their eyes pinned on the jewels left behind. On February 24, 2008, seven men tied up five staff members at the Damiani showroom in Milan and made off with an estimated $15-$20 million in diamond jewelry.
The thieves entered the Damiani showroom through an underground tunnel that was dug over the course of a month through the cellar of a building next door. The owners of the showroom were hosting an Oscar’s party in Los Angeles while the heist was carried out. Damiani is a popular jeweler with Hollywood stars, and celebrities at the Oscar’s ceremony were wearing some of Damiani’s most valuable jewels.
The gang of thieves managed to avoid setting off any alarms and they were not captured on security cameras. According to police, they were dressed in fake Guardia di Finanza uniforms and used an internal staircase to access the first floor of the showroom from below. There is no indication the robbers were armed. The Damiani heist took just over 40 minutes, and police speculated this seemingly perfect crime might have involved inside assistance.
Millennium Dome Diamond Heist in London
Despite foiled attempts to steal valuable diamond jewelry throughout history, the Damiani robbery confirms thieves will never give up trying and at least occasionally, succeeding. In 2000, thieves were unsuccessful with a daring attempt to steal the 203 carat flawless Millennium Star diamond, the 27.64 blue Heart of Eternity diamond and several other rare diamonds on display at London’s Millennium Dome. The value of the diamonds was £350 million.
Local robbers planned to break through a perimeter fence with excavation equipment, then create a hole in the side of the Millennium Dome. They intended to break the security glass housing the diamonds and make a getaway in a speedboat on the Thames River.
Police overwhelmed the would-be thieves in the vault area of the Millennium Dome exhibit. Police were aware of the plot and had taken the precaution of substituting the valuable diamonds with fakes. Over 100 undercover police officers were on site at the Millennium Dome at the time of the attempted robbery, and the thieves were quickly overpowered.
The Regent Diamond’s History of Heists
Diamond heists are part of what makes many of the world’s most famous diamonds so intriguing. Theft plays a role in the fascinating history of the Regent Diamond from the very beginning, and it survived one more heist before being placed in its permanent, present home at the Louvre.
The Regent Diamond’s history begins in the 17th century. It was found in India in the 1600s, and in the rough, it weighed 410 carats. The finder managed to smuggle the huge diamond to the coast beneath the bandages of a self-inflicted wound. It was then stolen by an English sea captain and sold to an Iranian for $5,000.
The Regent’s diamond was sold once more and then cut under the ownership of Thomas Pitt. In 1717, the Pitt as it became known was sold to Philippe of France. Louis XV wore the diamond in his crown in his 1722 coronation. In 1792, the diamond was stolen once again along with other crown jewels, but it was quickly recovered. Napoleon’s second wife carried it to Austria following Bonaparte’s fall, but it was soon returned. It remained a part of the French crown jewels until their sale in 1887.
Diamond Heist at the Louvre
Although the Regent Diamond is now believed to be safe from theft at its home in the Louvre, diamonds with an estimated value of about 11.5 million Euros were stolen on site at the Louvre Museum complex in 2004.
The diamond theft at the 2004 Antique Dealers Biennale at the Carrousel du Louvre was successful due to a lack of security measures. The clerk staffing a booth containing millions of dollars worth of diamonds left it unguarded for about 15 minutes, during which time the heist was carried out. One 47 carat diamond valued at around six million euros and another 30 carat stone valued at 5.5 million euros were taken. The exhibition’s security measures are not connected with the security of the Louvre Museum itself.
Whether you own one diamond valued at just a few hundred dollars or a diamond jewelry collection valued at several thousands, there’s always the possibility you could lose them to a thief. As history shows us again and again, thieves are always ready to take a risk when it comes to diamonds.
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